Automatic fire-shutter.



A. RUSH. AUTOMATIC FIRE SHUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1912.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

x9 MIA wt wa all) A, MW m s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT BUSH, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE KINNEAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-SHUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 1, 1912. Serial No. 706,851.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT Rosrr, a c1t1- zen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Fire-Shutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of fire shutters that are normally operable for raising and lowering and have means for releasing them in case of imminent fire.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means of the kind stated, and the invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described, the features of novelty being pointed out in the claims.

n the accompanyin drawings forming part hereofFigure 1 1s a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally of the barrel, some arts shown in full lines, and portions being roken out. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the right hand end of the structure as shown in Fig. 1, the releasing devices bein" exhibited at said end.

In the views 7 and 8 designate suitable end brackets. 9 designates the barrel and 10 a fraction of the shutter attached thereto. The barrel has in its left hand end a perforated plug 12 and is supported at that end by means of a shaft member 11 secured in the bracket 7 and passed through the perforation of said plug. The shaft 11 has an encircling spring 15 connected with it and the barrel and is adjustable for regulating the tension of the spring to balance the shutter for normal raismg and lowering. At its inner end the shaft member 11 extends through a collar 19 screwed to the barrel. The other end of the barrel is provided with a plug 17 having an integral extension 17 that projects through an opening in the bracket 8, said opening being shown as revided with roller bearings 8. Exten ing into the barrel and through an axial perforation forming a bearing 1n the plug 17 and its extension 17* is another shaft member 18.

The shaft member 18 turns at its inner end in a socket of a collar 20 that is pinned to the inner end of the shaft 11 where the latter extends be 0nd the collar 19. Secured at one end tot e collar 20 is a coiled sprm 21, the other end of the spring bemg secure to the collar 20 pinned to the shaft 18. The

spring 21 is designed to be wound to act counter to the stress or torque of the spring 15 and at the proper time to uncoil the shutter.

Secured on the outer end of the plug extension 17 is a toothed wheel 22 and secured on the outer end of the shaft 18 beyond the wheel 22 is a disk 23. J ournaled eceentrically in the disk 23 is a short shaft on one end of which at the inner side of the disk is pinned a gear wheel 24 that is in permanent mesh with the wheel 22. On the other end of said short shaft at the outer side of the disk is secured a ratchet 25. Pivoted on a pin 26 on the disk 23 is a pawl 27 backed by a spring 28 secured-on the disk, said spring tending normally to throw the beak or toe of the pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel and thus lock the gears 22 and 24 from rotating with reference to each other when the disk is actuated by the spring 21 as hereinafter further exained.

30 designates a lever fulcrumed on a pin 31 on the outer face of the bracket 8. The said lever is provided with a recess at its upper end formed between two lugs 32, 32 and said lever is normally held up with the recess engaged with the heel of the awl 27, the lugs being so located that when t e pawl is so engaged the beak or toe of the pawl is held removed from the ratchet wheel 25. The means for holding up the lever 30 can be and preferably is thermally controlled and consists of a pendent lever 38 provided with a shoulder 33" having a long weighted arm 33 and a sectional wire 34 extending upward therefrom containing one or more fusible connections 35, said wire being fastened at its upper end to the short arm of a weighted lever 36 that in turn is fulcrumed to a suitable fixed point 37 on the building.

38 is a dog ivoted on a pin 39 extending from the brac (st 8. This dog is in the form of a lever the longer portion of which is pendent so as to lie in the path of the heel of the pawl 27 when the disk rotates. Means are provided whereby the pawl 27 is permitted to pass the do 38 when the disk is turned in the unwin ing direction of the shutter and to cause said dog to obstruct the passage of the pawl when the disk is turned 1n the opposite or coiling up direction of the shutter. This means consists of a pin 40 on the bracket arranged to prevent by contact with a short arm of the dog oscillation in one direction.

The disk 23 is provided at its rim with sockets 23 into any of which a bar can be inserted for turning the disk and thus placmg the spring 21 under the desired tension. When the desired tension of the spring 21 has been obtained it is retained for use by securing the disk with the lever 30.

The spring 21 having been wound to proper tension the operation is this: When the lever 30 is released by the melting of one of the fusible connections 35 the awl 27 is thrown into engagement with tie ratchet thus locking the gears 22 and 24 from rotation with reference to each other. The effect of this locking together of the said gears and releasing the disk is to operatively connect the spring 21 with the barrel, the stress of thespring being transmitted through the shaft, the disk and the ears to the barrel and shutter, the latter being driven down to 'opening' closing position. In the unwinding o oration the awl 27 slips past the dog 38.

e tension 0 the spring 21 which was unexpended in the closing operation can be automatically released by raising the shutter until the ratchet abuts against the dog (as shown by broken line Fig. 2) thereby withdrawing the pawl from the ratchet and removing restraint from the spring. This is an im ortaut feature of my invention because 1t permits the restoring of the shutter to its normal balanced condition rendering it easy for occupants of the building to escape or for firemen to raise the same for access to the interior if necessary.

What I claim is:

1. In a fire shutter, in combination, a rotary shutter-receiving member and a shutter thereon, a tension member for balancing the shutter for normal 0 eration, a tension member for impelling tie shutter to openingclosing position, a gear connected with the shutter-receiving member, a shaft engaging the second named tension member, a gear and ratchet carried by said shaft, said gear being in permanent mesh with the first mentioned car, a awl also carried by said shaft a apted when released to engage said ratchet and lock the said "ears from rotation with reference to each other, and releasable means for holding said pawl disengaged from said ratchet and said shaft from rotation.

2. In a fire shutter, in combination, a rotary shutter-receiving member and shutter thereon, a tension member for balancing the shutter for normal operation, a normally ino erative tension member for impelling the s utter to opening closing position, and

means actuated by movement of the shutter releasing the tension of the said last named tensioned member after the performance of its function.

3. In a fire shutter, in combination, a rotary shutter-receiving member and shutter thereon, a tension member for balancing the shutter for normal operation, a normall inoperative tensioned member for impe ling the shutter to opening closing position, and means operative by raisin the shutter to release the tensioned mem er after the performance of the shutter closing operation by said tensioned member.

4. In a fire shutter, in combination a rotary shutter-receiving member and a shutter thereon, a tension member for balancing the shutter for normal 0 eration, a tension member for impelling t e shutter to openingclosing position, a gear connected with the shutter-receiving member, a shaft engaging the second named tension member, a gear and ratchet carried by said shaft, said gear being in permanent mesh with the first mentioned gear, a pawl also carried by said shaft adapte when released to engage said ratchet and lock the said gears from rotation with reference to each other, and releasable means for holding said pawl disengaged from said ratchet and said shaft from rotation, and means for releasing the tension of the second named tension member after the performance of its function.

5. In a fire shutter, in combination, a barrel having a head or plug rovided with an extension beyond the barrel said head or plug and extension being axiall perforated, a shaft extending through sai perforation into the barrel, a tension member within the barrel and connected with the shaft for impelling the shutter to opening-closin position, a clutch mechanism associated with the shaft and barrel on the exterior of the barrel, and operating on said plug extension, and thermally controlled means for normally holding said clutch mechanism and the shaft from operation and for releasing the same for operation in case of fire, substantially as described.

6. In a fire shutter, in combination, a rotary shutter receiving member and shutter thereon, a normally tensioned member for impelling the shutter to openingclosing position and means operable by raising the shutter to further release the tension of the tensioned member after the performance of the shutter closing function.

ALBERT RUSH.

Witnesses:

E. H. MOCLOUD, ANNA 'Inunsa KING.

Copies ofthil patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

